FOREST SERVICE STUMPAGE APPRAISALS 719 



(b) Skidding: 



Species ; per cent of each. 



Stand per acre. 



Logs per thousand. 



Per cent of cull. 



Average distance. 



Average slope per cent. 



Surface ; rough or smooth. 



Rock. 



Soil; firm or soft. 



The secondary factors are : Organization, efficiency of labor, individ- 

 uality of operator, kind and condition of equipment, cost of supplies, 

 cost of freighting in supplies, wages and the like. 



The only figure which it is necessary to determine in the field is the 

 number of thousand feet board measure which a crew of average effi- 

 ciency should handle in a day. This cost obviously depends largely 

 upon the primary factors enumerated above and is derived by a com- 

 parison of these separate factors for the tract under consideration with 

 other figures from jobs with which the appraiser is familiar. In other 

 words, a comparison of the conditions and all factors on a chance 

 where the costs are desired with the conditions and factors on a chance 

 where the costs are known is the most logical basis from which logging 

 costs can be determined. The more experience an appraiser has had in 

 the dififerent branches of operations, or the more opportunities he has 

 had to observe actual results accomplished under different conditions 

 and to analyze factors affecting costs, the better qualified he is to esti- 

 mate operating costs accurately. 



This example of swamping and skidding was given in order to show 

 what is considered under that heading in the appraisal. The same pro- 

 cedure is followed for all the other factors when making the field ex- 

 amination. 



TIME STUDIES 



Time studies in logging operations are very valuable. Considerable 

 data have already been collected from detailed time studies, but I do 

 not believe that the collection of cost data from time studies can ever 

 be used as a basis to determine costs to be used in making appraisals 

 until the studies have been carried out under all conditions and ex- 

 tended over a period of several years, thus making it possible to defi- 

 nitely establish broad averages which will eliminate variations due to 

 local conditions. 



